Public Works Chairman Denzil Minnan-Wong said Wednesday he doubts council will try to kill a bylaw that brings the bag ban into effect — even if a majority of councillors want to do away with it.

Although council could refuse to approve the bylaw that enacts the ban, Minnan-Wong said the move would set a dangerous precedent.

“If we set a precedent on the (bag ban) that we turn down the bylaw, you’re setting a precedent and a practice when all of it sudden it becomes OK to turn down any decision and every decision when the bylaw gets approved,” he said.

“We’ll be reopening potentially every decision for a new discussion. I’m not sure council really wants to take that course of action.

The bag ban is set to take effect Jan. 1. Minnan-Wong’s public works committee will be holding public consultation on the ban bylaw next week.

According to the staff report, the city plans to spend $400,000 to “communicate and educate retailers and residents on the single-use plastic carryout shopping bag ban.”

Municipal officials are recommending a staged implementation of the ban. Between Jan. 1 and July 1, the city’s licensing officers would educate retailers about the ban rather than issuing citations that could lead to fines and penalties.

“We have long enough debates right now, I don’t know whether we want to torture ourselves with going through debates twice on the same item,” Minnan-Wong added.